China in Iraq, the future of peace operations and more

China’s role in the fight against Islamic State

The rapid advance of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has caught China, and the rest of the international community, by surprise. Oliver Bräuner and Daha Park ask whether China will be forced to become more active in the fight against ISIS to protect its citizens and interests in Iraq.

SIPRI launches new report on peace operations

A new SIPRI report identifies clarifying expectations, aligning resources and equitable burden sharing as key components of successful future peace operations. The report, launched in New York City, aims to feed into a larger United Nations review of its peace operations.

SIPRI hosts event at Munich Security Conference

On 7 February SIPRI hosted a discussion at the Munich Security Conference for invited participants on the future actions of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) within the context of the OSCE's Helsinki+40 process for evaluating its own effectiveness.

The misfortune of visibility in violent conflicts

In the latest SIPRI–EPS blog post, Damir Esenaliev and Susan Steiner write that economic disparities between ethnic groups are often seen as a driver of ethnic conflict. Understanding the extent of these disparities, and their sources, can help inform policies that aim to avoid further conflict.

SIPRI cordially invites you to an event co-hosted by the Forum on the Arms Trade and the Stimson Center. Dr Aude Fleurant, Director of SIPRI's Arms and Military Expenditure Programme, will present SIPRI's data on trends in international arms transfers in 2014. Jeff Abramson (Forum on the Arms Trade) and Rachel Stohl (Stimson Center) will also discuss prospects for greater responsibility and transparency in the global arms trade.

Summer school on impact evaluation methods in Central Asia
In June 2015 SIPRI and the Institute of Public Policy and Administration of the University of Central Asia (UCA), the International Security and Development Center (ISDC) and the United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) will offer a Summer School programme in Kyrgyzstan entitled ‘Impact Evaluation Methods in Central Asia’.

Promoting crisis management in the East China Sea

Two intertwined territorial disputes in the East China Sea are currently unresolved between China and Japan. The first dispute concerns sovereignty issues regarding the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. The islands are administered by Japan but claimed by China. Japan does not recognize the existence of a territorial dispute. The second dispute concerns maritime delimitation in the East China Sea.

Four new SIPRI Policy Briefs shed light on aspects of crisis management in the East China Sea. The publications conclude a two-year project supported by the MacArthur Foundation that enabled SIPRI to host high-level maritime security dialogues in Stockholm with significant Chinese and Japanese participation.

SIPRI Yearbook 2014

SIPRI Yearbook 2014 is a compendium of data and analysis in the areas of security and conflicts; military spending and armaments; and non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament. Sample sections from each of the chapters in SIPRI Yearbook 2014 are now available for download via the SIPRI website. Summaries of the Yearbook are also available in a number of languages. The full text of the Yearbook will be translated into Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian.

SIPRI

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources.